From the New York Times bestselling author of The Nest and Good Company comes a wry and tender portrait of two families forever changed by one lovestruck decision that reverberates for decades.

"Lake Effect is utterly compelling and beautifully told. Tracing the far-reaching tremors of an affair, Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney takes a familiar premise and makes it feel entirely new and original. Moving nimbly between viewpoints, she illuminates even her characters’ darkest, most regrettable moments with clarity and insight."

   — Florence Knapp, author of The Names

“Dazzling . . . Funny . . . Everyone in Sweeney’s big-hearted book is given choices and those tiny, blink-or-you’ll-miss-it opportunities add up to extraordinary lives.”

—Star Tribune

“Astute and immersive with a surprising twist.”

   — People

“An insightful, beautiful tearjerker of a book.”

   — Real Simple

“This is basically Anne Tyler with better sex. . . . . Sweeney carries off something immensely difficult and heartening — a braiding of hurt and forgiveness, sadness and love, that feels strong enough to last.”

   — Ron Charles, Substack

“A propulsive read that covers everything from intimacy to family dynamics and trust, Lake Effect is a zip of a book.”

   — Marie Claire

“Lake Effect opens in 1977, Rochester, which is so precise you could almost smell it . . . if you like a big, messy family story—this is definitely a book for you."

   — New York Times Book Review podcast

“Gen X, this is for you.”

   — Parade

“I absolutely love this book. It is perfection.”

   — Sarah Gelman, CBS Mornings

“Sweeney’s insight into all the ways people who love each other end up at bitter odds gives the warm-hearted novel a welcome bite. An inviting family drama with the warmth, interest, and edge readers love in Sweeney’s work.”

   — Kirkus Reviews (starred)

"A story of desire, jealousy, fragile family bonds, and choices both freeing and haunting, this is a gift from Sweeney."

   — Library Journal (starred review)

“A reverberating, intergenerational family saga . . . Artful [and] fresh.”

   — Booklist (starred)

“Sweeney writes with clarity, compassion, a bit of humor and an emphasis on food. . . One of the book’s epigraphs is from M.F.K. Fisher, who reminds the reader that when she wrote of hunger she wrote of love. In Lake Effect, Sweeney does the same.”

   — BookPage

"Layered, rich, and full of surprises, Cynthia Sweeney's Lake Effect is a heartfelt, kaleidoscopic portrait of how, in the ecosystem of family, one seismic decision can reverberate for decades. With tremendous insight, and sometimes sensuous prose, Sweeney has crafted a story with so much life, it grabs at your heart and keeps you wanting more."

— Xochitl Gonzalez, author of Anita de Monte Laughs Last

"A sparkling novel of love and family and the wreckage of a passionate affair. Lake Effect is tender and bittersweet, a joyful classic in the making."

— Jenny Jackson, author of Pineapple Street

"Lake Effect pulled me right into its messy, intimate web of neighbors, lovers, and daughters. Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney brings warmth and humor to this nuanced exploration of betrayal and its echoes, drawing each character's perspective so finely that I could swear I know these people. I could not put it down!"

— Shelby Van Pelt, author of Remarkably Bright Creatures